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Seeing a Black woman break into the tech industry is always an accomplishment to celebrate, but what makes the win even more major is how they lift up others along with them. In the age of social media, the underrepresented group is not only sharing their experiences in their fields but also using their platforms to create a domino effect of Black talent going from sending in their resumes to signing job offer letters. Here are 10 Black women tech influencers who are working with big names like Google, Meta, and Microsoft that are teaching the ins and outs of the industry to help bring more of the community on board.
Last year, online learning and talent platform Udacity announced the launch of a free scholarship program that pledged to help emerging Black techies develop new tech skills for their careers. Today, the company has announced the completion of said pledge that’s working to build a stronger pipeline of Black tech talent in the industry. According to a press release, Udacity — which uses its platform to power the careers of the future — has declared that its Pledge to Equality Scholarship program has helped 730 recipients complete more than 1,100 projects as part of their coursework and hired seven graduates as company interns across different departments. The scholarship program was initially launched to offer free Udacity Nanodegree programs to Black communities across the U.S. The company also arranged to host a virtual career fair featuring seven different companies and contributed over $1 million to cover the cost of these free Nanodegree programs for learners. According to...
In recent years, brilliant innovations in technology have occurred on account of diverse techies putting themselves in a position to bring their creative ideas to life. While there are many inventions that stem from people in STEM-focused fields, the reality is that these revolutionary technologies can come from any wide range of perspectives and people that come from all walks of life. Though Silicon Valley has been called out for its failure to diversify its workforces, Black and brown technicians and app developers around the world aren’t letting that stop them from creating their own seat at the table. Take for instance Apple’s recent efforts to boost diversity in tech as a result of its $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. These efforts include creating programs that aim to address issues of racial equity in education, employment and economic inequality. Moreover, bold initiatives like this have created opportunities for diverse, self-taught app developers to be...
When it comes to pursuing your dreams, Kevin Gates is not the only person who never gets tired. Meet Blake Thrower, a South Carolina native who worked hard and made his way into the tech industry as a software engineer with Google. Thrower had a childhood fascination with taking things apart to figure out how they work and he leans into that passion with the global work he does on the Google Play Loyalty Team. “That’s one of the biggest rewards for me, honestly,” says Blake. “I [also] have an opportunity to work on problems at a global scale.” As Google Play continues to expand its reach, Blake uses his interest in problem-solving and the artistry of engineering in his work. After graduating from Clemson University, Thrower set his eyes on landing a job in the tech industry. This was no easy task; he received several rejections before he finally got the “yes” from Google. Since joining the organization through the engineering residency program, Thrower has served on the South Bay...
Thanks to an emerging fund, Black entrepreneurs are finally getting the support they’ve been waiting on. Black Tech Nation — a multi-faceted tech organization — is described as building a “#DigitalWakanda through education, digital media, recruitment, and funding” for a family of “Black coders, innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, educators, and nerds,” according to the company’s website. In an interview with TechCrunch, Black Tech Nation general partner Kelauni Jasmyn declared the firm’s goal is to simply “get more Black people funded.” Jasmyn, alongside the rest of her team, has been working hard to make this a reality for the Pittsburgh-based organization through its newly-created $50 million first fund with the help of fellow GPs Sean Sebastian and David Motley. Super excited to be among the ranks of VCs purposefully putting #VentureCapital behind #BlackTech , Black-led startups, and entrepreneurs of color! @blacktechnation is more than a community…it's a #DigitalWakanda . Now...
Silicon Valley’s tech giants are looking to prioritize diversity in their companies, and so they’re setting their sights on Atlanta’s hub of Black talent populating the industry. In light of last summer’s nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, big-name American corporations scrambled to pledge their support toward more diversity, equity, and inclusion — common-use terms that have become core values more popular than ever before. Among these corporations, the tech world also realized they had a major diversity problem to fix. As a result, companies like Microsoft, Airbnb, Apple and Google all announced expansion plans or major investments in Atlanta, AJC reports. Why some may ask? Simply put, Atlanta has historically been known for being a majority Black city and now it’s emerging as tech’s leading driver of economic growth as Black techies migrate to the city. “People are walking around Silicon Valley and other cities trying to solve diversity, but those aren’t diverse cities to...
In honor of Black History Month, we here at AfroTech, wish to recognize the efforts of Black scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs. Throughout history, Black American accomplishments have revolutionized not only our country but the world at large. While there are many more, here are 28 Black pioneers in science, technology, and business today you should know about: Asmau Ahmed, Founder of PlumPerfect View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Next IT Girl (@thenextitgirl_) Asmau Ahmed is a Senior Strategist that has led corporate strategy and digital innovation for established and emergent organizations in a number of industries including financial services, and consumer retail. She thrives on identifying and growing (digital) companies that have the power to transform the way everyday people do everyday things. With experience in both corporate and entrepreneurial leadership, she has honed her skills in assessing the business viability and risk profile and in...
The Linux Foundation — the non-profit arm of the merger between Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group — has announced in a press release that they’ve partnered with Blacks In Technology to provide $100,000 in training and certification to what they’re calling “deserving individuals.” According to the press release, the San Francisco-based company confirmed they’ll be awarding 50 scholarships each quarter to rising Black technology stars. The scholarship is not a monetary disbursement — rather, the Linux Foundation will provide a voucher for each recipient to register for any of their certification exams at no cost. Each certification costs approximately $300, and these scholarships will certainly allow aspiring techies to achieve their goals regardless of their socioeconomic status. In the past, much ado has been made about the financial barrier between Black men and women and high-paying tech jobs, so this is certainly a step in the right direction. “We are...
Computer science often seems like a field open only to people who are fully dedicated to computing and mathematics. However, this could not be further from the truth. High-profile celebrities around the world have told their fans that they know how to code and that they also value learning to code . It’s not difficult to understand why these celebrities are interested in programming. After all, coding not only unlocks job opportunities—according to the non-profit Code.org , there are nearly 500,000 “[o]pen computing jobs” in the U.S. alone—but knowing how to code can help you solve problems more effectively. Here’s why these Black celebrities — that you may not have known were into coding — are learning the skill. Serena Williams Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Apartment List Serena Williams is a professional tennis player who has won 23 major singles titles throughout her career—the most won by any woman or man. Williams holds more Grand Slam titles than any other active player in...
While Silicon Valley may be known as the foremost tech hub in the U.S., there are a number of other emerging hubs across the country. Many people interested in pursuing a career in tech are now considering cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. Before you move to a new city to start your tech career, consider which cities have high-quality training programs that will help you learn the skills you need to thrive in the industry. Luckily for you, there are a number of excellent coding bootcamps all around the country — even in cities with nascent tech industries. We’ve compiled a list of the top cities with high-quality coding bootcamps. This list will give you a sense of where you could break into one of the best tech jobs and provide you with information about some of the top coding bootcamps in those cities. Let’s break down the top ten cities to attend coding bootcamp and explore some of the best training programs those cities have to offer. 1. San Diego, California Silicon Beach...
My first time attending AfroTech was an amazing experience. I got to connect with so many people from all walks of life (I even made some friends from Canada!). My goal for attending was really to expand my network and experience an environment where I wasn’t the only Latino/Black in tech. Day 1 JFK -> SFO 6 hours. Real Intimate Setting; Jackie Bavaro on the right. The first event I attended was the Product Manager Chat with Jackie Bavaro, co-author of “Cracking the PM Interview” (FYI: she has another book on the way called “Cracking the PM Career”) hosted by my now good friend, Olumide Longe . As someone interested in becoming a product manager, I thought it should be a priority this weekend that I push my narrative and promote myself as someone in that space. We traversed many topics from the road to PM to how to handle interviews, what makes a good PM, KPIs, etc. After the session, I got to ask an extra question to Bavaro which was: “How do you balance the relationship between...